A new witness in the case of a man who blames the Diocese of Burlington for not failing to protect him from a pedophile priest says he was also a victim.
The man who testified yesterday told the jury that Reverend Al Willis molested him in the mid-1970’s.
The witness also said that teenagers at St. Anthony’s Church in Burlington had given Willis a nickname that implied he was a pedophile.
The nickname bestowed on Willis when he was a deacon and soon-to-be priest, two years before he allegedly molested James Turner.
The nickname was described by a witness yesterday in the civil trial in Turner’s suit against the Burlington diocese. Turner accuses the Diocese of covering up and failing to respond to Willis’ sexual misconduct.
Willis is not on trial. He has settled out of court with Turner.